Pollo Norte took Portland by storm with its focused and simple menu featuring Mexico City-inspired rotisserie chicken, with people clamoring to get one of the limited birds on offer each day. What could be so great about just chicken? For starters, the poultry here is local and free-range (everything tastes better when it didn't live exclusively in a cage). Secondly, they brine the birds in lime and achiote chile, Mexican sea salt, and cane sugar. Thirdly, it's just beautifully simple. The birds, sold by the half and whole, come with fresh tortillas and cabbage, and can be paired with a limited selection of sides including roasted potatoes, bacon-spiked pinto beans, and two kinds of salsa. This second location, with more room and an outdoor patio for pecking at chicken bones, has helped ease some of the demand.

Pollo Norte

Drew Tyson

Pollo Norte took Portland by storm with its focused and simple menu featuring Mexico City-inspired rotisserie chicken, with people clamoring to get one of the limited birds on offer each day. What could be so great about just chicken? For starters, the poultry here is local and free-range (everything tastes better when it didn't live exclusively in a cage). Secondly, they brine the birds in lime and achiote chile, Mexican sea salt, and cane sugar. Thirdly, it's just beautifully simple. The birds, sold by the half and whole, come with fresh tortillas and cabbage, and can be paired with a limited selection of sides including roasted potatoes, bacon-spiked pinto beans, and two kinds of salsa. This second location, with more room and an outdoor patio for pecking at chicken bones, has helped ease some of the demand.